When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to dig into my stocking. My mother was the queen of stuffing stockings. She carefully wrapped each and every item. Little did I know at the time, but this was a diversion. For my parents, stockings were a great way to let the adults get another couple of hours of sleep on Christmas morning. Let me tell you, it was a great diversion! She always came up with the most amazing treasures. My brother and I would completely be engrossed in whatever fun items we found at the bottom of our giant sock.

As a mother, I’ve tried to carry on that tradition. Seriously, it’s not that easy. If I bought everything that I wanted for my kids’ stockings, I’d spend a fortune, and let’s face it, Christmas is already expensive enough. With everything I’m spending, I don’t need to spend a lot on stockings. So, I work really hard to make the ultimate stockings for my kids each year without spending a lot of money on them.

So, here are some of my favorite ideas for stocking stuffers that won’t break the bank. Hopefully you’ll be inspired. At the end of this article I’ve also listed some of my most favorite place to shop for stocking stuffers. I think you may be surprised by at least one or two of them.

Some Christmas music for you as you read

Toddler

It can be difficult to put together a stocking for kids under the age of 4. Stocking stuffers are small, and toddlers aren’t allowed tiny things because they are choking hazards. One of the things I really liked to do with my own children when making their toddler stockings was buy a set of something appropriate for their age. For my daughter’s first Christmas I got a set of ten rattles and teethers. I pulled them out of the box and just wrapped them individually. When my son was a toddler I bought him a set of toddler appropriate dinosaurs and wrapped each of them. Another set of something I’ve purchased was the Nativity Fisher Price Little People. Again, buy one set, wrap the pieces individually, and voila; instant stocking.

Below I’ve listed several other items that would make perfect stocking stuffers for babies and toddlers.

Fun for Kids Ages 4 - 10

Kids from 4 - 10 are what stocking stuffers are ALL about. This is the age group who Santa wants to impress...or at least engage enough to let mom and dad get to sleep in a bit longer.

One thing that is always a hit are items with their favorite characters on them. To a child, a pencil is just a pencil, but a pencil with Mickey Mouse or Olaf on it...well that’s a treasure!

The list below includes some awesome ideas for your kids who are ages 4 - 10. You’ll also see a short list below that for boys and girls. I really hate to gender stereotype, but let’s face it most little boys are NOT going to be into hair bows, and most little girls don’t like Hot Wheels.

Bubble bath

Bag of marbles

Novelty Erasers

Slinky

Stickers

Mini Etch a sketch

Sidewalk chalk

Sidewalk chalk holder

Mini Flashlight

Flash cards

Bouncy balls

Silly string

Balloons

Mini-Puzzle

Mini-coloring book

Mini-container of Play-doh (buy a pack to split up among your kids)

Harmonica

Train Whistle

Kaleidoscope

Temporary tattoos

Coin purse

Silly putty

Jacks and ball set

Jump rope

Boys

Hot Wheels

Lego Mini Figures

Pokémon or other collector cards

Hex bugs

Girls

Nail polish

Hair bands, clips, bows and other hair accessories

Mini mani/pedi kit

Candy necklace

Costume Jewelry

Mirror compact

lip gloss

Don't forget to leave cookies for Santa!

Teen/Tween

By the time your child is a tween or teen cheapy items from Dollar Tree just aren’t going to cut it. Their tastes become much more expensive and WHOA...they are much harder to please. Don’t worry though, I’ve come up with some items to add to your tween or tweens stocking that won’t break the bank. Plus, they may just make you the coolest Santa around.

Ear buds

Flash drive

Duct Tape

Items with school colors or school logo

Book light

Locker decorations

Magnets

Phone/tablet charger

Device screen cleaning cloth - if your child has a phone or tablet these can be life savers.

Body Spray

Pocket knife

Lanyard for school ID card

Novelty Key Chain

Breath mints/gum

Phone case

Deodorant

Personalized key ring

To Wrap or Not to Wrap

Do you wrap all the presents in your kids' stocking?

Practical

I know, I know, practical sounds just so boring. It doesn’t have to be. Think of it as getting things they need, but with a twist. For example, don’t just get them socks...get them novelty socks in vibrant colors or with their favorite superhero on them. Don’t just get them a toothbrush get them a toothbrush with their name on it. You get the idea. Get them something they need, but more awesome and fabulous than just the basic item.

Socks

Gloves or mittens

Stocking Cap

Toothbrush

Bookmark

Mini bottles of lotion, body wash or shampoo

Lip Balm

Grade appropriate school supplies - by December most of their school supplies have either been lost, or used, or even trashed. Christmas is a great time to restock.

Batteries - specifically ones for any presents they may receive.

Shoe laces

Character bandages

Pocket hand sanitizer

Everyone

This last list is full of ideas for kids of all ages. They are things that you can pretty much adapt to any child. They are the “no brainers” of a stocking...candy, fruit, and random goodies.

Deck of Cards - perhaps a matching card game for tots, Old Maid for the older kids, and tweens and teens a standard deck of cards

Book

Sunglasses

Puzzle games

Art supplies - crayons, markers, colored pencils (age appropriate)

Small craft kits - age appropriate

Pez dispenser and candy

Orange or apple - a boring, yet traditional stocking stuffer. Great news though, they fit perfectly in the toe of a stocking.

Ring Pop

Hot cocoa packets

Post-it Notes

Christmas Ornament

Novelty chocolate - chocolate coins or chocolate coal are a holiday tradition at our house, but there are many other novelty chocolates that you can find around the holiday.

Plush toys

Mad Libs

Favorite candy treat

Candy Cane

Life Saver “Story Book”

Stocking Stuffer Shopping

I’ve found that if I start searching for stocking stuffers at a few key places I can really get some deals and my stockings will still be special without putting me in the poorhouse.

Michaels: Michael’s craft store has several sections that are chock full of excellent stocking stuffers. Most of the items in the bins are only $1 - $3. I’m not talking about just crafting supplies. Just to name a few items: they have toys, character pens, small coloring books, seasonal items, and note pads. They even have small all in one crafting kits. You can really find a lot of fun things there. Also, if you have multiple children you could buy a pack of some crafting supply, like glitter glue, and split it up between the kids.

Target: I love The One Spot at Target. It’s like a mini dollar store that rotates its merchandise. You can find it at the front of most Target stores. The prices of all the items in The One Spot cost between $1 - 3. You never really know what you will find. I’ve bought candy, mini gardens, school supplies, hair clips, jacks, bubbles, socks, and various character toys. At Christmas Time you’ll find seasonal items that are also perfect for stocking stuffers.

Dollar Tree: At the Dollar Tree everything is one dollar so it’s a great place to search for stocking stuffers. Since it is variety store, you can find all kinds of hidden treasures there if you take the time to look. I usually stay away from the toys there mostly because many of them are cheap. No worries though there are still plenty of other stocking stuffers you can find at the Dollar Tree. Just to name a few things; hair accessories, nail polish, novelty candy, balls, school supplies, magnets, and sunglasses. If you wander through the whole store I’m sure you will find many other items there that your child will love.

Amazon: Do you shop on Amazon during the holidays? I do. One of Amazon’s best kept secrets is the “Add On Item.” These are low cost items that would be cost-prohibitive to ship on their own, but if you are ordering more than $25 dollars’ worth of product you qualify to purchase the “Add On Item.” For example, my son loves Harry Potter so I bought him a Gryffindor robe on Amazon. When adding the robe to my cart Amazon showed me a golden snitch as an “Add On Item”. It was only $4.00, and I knew it was perfect for him, so I bought it for his stocking. I’ve also bought earbuds, nerf guns, and small plushies as “Add On Items.”

Another great item that Amazon carries are electronic accessories. Chargers, ear buds, styluses, and phone cases can be found all at a very reasonable price. Highly recommend it for not only stockings, but at any time of year.

There you have it, a plethora of stocking stuffer ideas and a few ideas of places to shop for them. Hopefully this helps you in your stocking stuffer shopping. Happy holidays!